All That Glitters
by splashes-of-silver
Summary: When Juliet dares Shawn to go two days without kissing her, it may be more difficult then he originally thought. Throw in a case, and it's one hard day for Shawn.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Ahh! I'm nervous! This is the first continuous chapter story I've published without having it (or an outline) written beforehand! Also, I've never done anything like this before. This makes me nervous, because I'm afraid I won't be able to finish :( But I'm really excited about this story..so hopefully it'll work out! **Also.. I'm a little iffy on the time slot... a week seems long... so that could possibly change at some point.** I really really hope ya'll like it :)**

**OOPS! Someone, seriously post in the reviews or something to remind me to do disclaimers (and suggestions are DEFINITELY needed).**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of Psych (if I did, it be coming back sooner than October!)**

* * *

><p>"Hey Jules.." Shawn murmured. He had just gotten up and, seeing Juliet still asleep in his bed, he smiled.<p>

"Time to wake up!" He said in a slightly louder voice.

"Wha-?" a groggy Juliet managed to get out before Shawn ducked over and pecked her on the lips.

"Good morning, sleepy. I thought you might want to get to the station..." Shawn smirked, "...seeing as it's 11 o'clock."

With that, Juliet sat upright in a flash. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed with alarm. "I'm _never _late!" She began to get up out of bed, but Shawn stopped her with a hand placed on her shoulder.

"True." He shrugged. "Maybe you should enjoy it then..." Shawn leaned in to kiss her again, and Juliet was just getting into it when she remembered.

"Shawn!" She muttered against his lips. "Shawn!" She pushed him away from her. Sighed. "I've got to go!" He pouted. "Come on, Jules! You'll be late anyway..."

Juliet shook her head firmly, saying "No," as she began to get ready while Shawn watched, disappointed.

* * *

><p>They pulled into the parking lot, and as they walked towards the entrance, Shawn's hand immediately gravitated towards hers.<p>

"No, Shawn," Juliet muttered. "Not here!"

Shawn sighed, but obliged.

They got to Juliet's desk without trouble, but when Shawn was about to leave, he swooped down on her quickly, kissing her passionately.

Juliet actually had to use force to get him away from her. "Shawn!" she gasped. "What are you doing? We agreed not to do any of that here!" After all, no one knows that they are dating.

He smiled. "Sorry...it's just... you're hard to resist. Like pineapple." He paused. "Or Val Kilmer."

Juliet ignored the fact that she was just compared to fruit and a male actor and sighed. "Not here alright?" He merely nodded. Then, as if he hadn't been listening, kissed her on the cheek, and that was enough for Juliet.

"Come on!" she muttered, exasperated, pulling him into an empty room. Juliet took a deep breath.

"Shawn, I don't understand. Why did you kiss me?"

His brow furrowed. "We've already been over this, Jules-"

"Well that's not good enough! We can't kiss in public, Shawn! What if Lassiter found out? Or the Chief?" She crossed her arms, upset.

Shawn was quieter then. "I'm sorry Jules. I _honestly_ can't help it!"

Suddenly, Juliet was hit by an idea. A wan smile appeared on her face. "Fine then, Shawn. I bet that you can't go _one week_ without kissing me. If I win, you can't kiss me at the station."

Shawn's mouth was hanging open for a few seconds, but then he snapped it shut, smiling too. "You're on. And if _I_ win, I get to kiss you whenever I want."

Juliet smirked. "Fine, Shawn." She stood on her tiptoes to reach his ear. Her lips brushed his ear as she whispered, "See you later..."

Shawn was left in the room, alone. He shivered.

Dang. This is going to be harder than he thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sigh. So yes I have updated (surprising, yes?). I'm super super super excited about this story, but now I've brought a case in, therefore only succeeding in making it that much harder for me to write. Plus, I'm afraid the whole dare thing is going to become a B plot. Ah well. I have barely any ideas anyway for making that side of the story. Maybe it's for the best. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Psych**

* * *

><p>After composing himself, Shawn walked up to the Chief's office- they had, after all, come to the station for a reason.<p>

"-said that she had found-" Shawn strolled in, interrupting the Chief in the middle of whatever she was saying. Everyone in the room glared him, except for Juliet, who had a dangerously mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Hello, Mr. Spencer. How nice of you to show up," the Chief said to him in a voice that wasn't nice at all.

"Sorry, Chief, I got... distracted," Shawn shrugged. Gus shot him an exasperated look, but the Chief just continued.

"Anyway, we received a call from one Brooke Hayfield. She said that while doing rounds this morning, she found someone unconscious- though suffering from multiple wounds- in the pool, and that-"

"Whoa whoa whoa, wait. Hold up," Shawn grinned. "We're investigating a death at a _pool?_" He grinned.

It was with a disparaging look that Lassiter answered. "A water park, actually."

An excited look on his face, Shawn touched his fist to Gus's briefly. "_Sweet!"_

Then, Shawn happened to look at Juliet. She was in the process of leaning down to get something from her bag. Shawn couldn't help but let his gaze linger as she rummaged, and he let himself tune out the Chief's talking...

"-not a death, though, because...Mr. Spencer!"

Shawn turned back, startled. "Yes, Chief!" He cleared his throat.

He was greeted with a glare from Lassiter. "Were you even paying attention?"

"Sure I was, Lassie- there was a death at a water park. What more do I need to know?"

Gus rolled his eyes. "It _wasn't _a death Shawn, the guy- John Hayfield?-is in the hospital, but he's alive.."

"Wait. Hayfield?" Shawn questioned, suspicious. "Brother? Father?"

"Step-father, actually," Juliet responded, unable to hid a smirk- she had noticed Shawn watching her before.

"So, detectives, Mr. Spencer, Mr. Guster, I need you to go out to the water park and investigate. Think you can do that?" The Chief leveled a warning glance towards Shawn, eyebrow raised.

He pretended to be hurt. "Chief! Of course I can!" he lowered his voice to a conspiratorial stage-whisper. "Though you may want to keep an eye on Lassie-face over there- I don't know if he'll be able to handle it."

The Chief merely rolled her eyes, exasperated, and pointed a finger to the door, signaling the end of their meeting.

And as they filed out, Juliet somehow found a way to torture him further as she brushed her hand discreetly over the back of his neck, and the lightness of her touch distracted him for a bit.

Shawn watched Juliet walk out with a dazed expression, until the Chief, annoyed, asked him if he remembered how to use his legs.

So now he was supposed to solve a case while trying to resist Juliet at a _water_ _park?_ Yeah, this was going to go well.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: First off, let me say sorry for the wait. I know it's been a while but I've been pretty busy. I have, though, been turning some ideas over in my head for a while so that's good. This chapter kind of got out of hand and I didn't actually get everything I wanted into it.**

**A word about the title- the idea is that Juliet is more valuable than gold to Shawn (i.e. "All that glitters is not gold"). I'm not a huge fan of the title now, but I don't want to change it in the middle, so i'll live with it.**

**Unfortunately, this may be the last update for a while. The school year is winding down and that means finals added to the mountain of homework I already have. If I don't update in the next two weeks, I'm afraid it may be until the end of May until I can write more.**

**Lastly, I wanted to thank you for the reviews, alerts, etc. that I've gotten for this story. Without them, I probably wouldn't have even gotten chapter two written. You have no idea how motivating they are.**

**Props to hoodnmazalways, xpsychxssjs, and CrazyPsychLady especially- your advice/suggestions made this chapter about ten times better, so thank you! **

**If you read the author's note this far, I applaud you! *claps***

**Thank you and enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: I don't own Psych. Or Water World.<strong>

* * *

><p>The four of them were driving to Water World when Shawn was hit by a sudden inspiration.<p>

"Stop stop stop!" He shouted out dramatically.

Lassie screeched to a stop in his new car. Upon looking back and seeing Shawn sitting calmly in the back seat, he scowled. "What?"

"I have an idea..." He paused. "Instead of going there and questioning people... we go _undercover_!" Shawn was grinning and, as much as Juliet wanted to tell him it was a stupid idea... it _was_ pretty hot outside...

"Not a chance!" Lassie snapped. "This is just an excuse for you to play around like four-year olds at a water park!" He gestured, irritated, toward Shawn and Gus.

"Don't lump me in-!" Gus started indignantly before he was interrupted by Shawn.

"So now it's a crime for a thirty year old to like the kiddie pool?" Shawn retorted, drawing exasperated looks from the others. "Okay fine! I _do_ wanna swim- but I have other reasons!"

Lassiter rolled his eyes.

"Come on Lassie, hear me out! The crime happened early this morning and the police already got statements- we can't do any help that way! I mean, doesn't it seem a little redudanent to interview everyone twice?"

"You mean redundant?" Gus interjected exasperatedly.

"I've heard it both ways." Shawn replied, prompting Gus to roll his eyes. "Anyways, if we go undercover we can be sneaky... observe the suspects, get to know them...and if the need to swim happens to arise...well... worse things could happen!"

Lassiter seemed almost convinced now, his last argument feeble. "How would we even go undercover- we don't have any disguises!"

Shawn scoffed. "I'll take care of that!"

Finally, sighing but cooperating , Lassiter started the car up again and they drove to the water park.

* * *

><p>"There's no way I'm wearing this!" came a muffled yell from inside the locker room shower.<p>

Gus and Shawn were standing at the door.

"Come on Lassie! Live a little!" Shawn shouted in return, rolling his eyes.

Lassiter came out slowly. He was wearing a black swimsuit and a annoyed look. "It's not happening Spencer!"

Shawn, heaving a dramatic sigh, relented. "Fine Lassie. I thought you might refuse... so I brought you this." He rummaged in his bag for a little while and then threw a colorful piece of fabric towards him.

Lassie caught it and, upon unfolding it, saw that it was one of Henry's Hawaiian shirts. Shawn grinned at Gus and they briefly fist bumped.

"Do you really expect me to wear this?" Lassiter asked incredulously.

Shawn shrugged, smirking. "Unless you want to go shirtless..."

* * *

><p>Juliet walked out of the ladies room feeling subconscious. She tugged at the end of her deep blue tankini, feeling a little awkward. Still, it would probably be an advantage to the dare she had running with Shawn, so she hadn't argued when Shawn had passed it to her with a suggestive little wink.<p>

Soon Lassiter, Gus, and Shawn came into her line of sight. Gus was wearing a green swim suit and a confident smirk appeared on his face every time a girl passed. Juliet had to muffle a giggle as she watched an uncomfortable Lassiter tugging at the collar of a brightly colored shirt that was decorated with garish tropical fruit.

Finally, her eyes rested on Shawn, who was wearing a swim suit decorated with pineapples (no surprise there). Juliet was slightly shocked at how good it looked on Shawn. He, unlike her partner, was shirtless, allowing her to see his surprisingly toned stomach. He was also a little tan, and Juliet found herself unable to look away.

Finally, they met at the entrance of the men's locker room, Shawn giving Juliet a knowing grin. Juliet swallowed and focused on her partner, who was currently talking.

"-think that we should-"

"Wait Lassie." Shawn interrupted. "Mind if we have a moment?" he inquired, referring to himself and Juliet. Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed Juliet's arm and steered her around the corner to an empty section of the sidewalk.

"Enjoying the view?" He asked, a smirk on his face.

"What? Uh, of course not, Shawn. I was just-" Juliet replied, flustered.

"Yeah yeah sure. We both know whatever you're about to say isn't true." He laughed. "But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about...I thought you should know...I'm changing the bet."

The confused look on Juliet's face prompted him to continue. "That is... it's gonna be two-ways now." Shawn began to grin. "Not only do I have to resist you...you have to resist me. Same rules as before. Just...it's gonna be a little harder for you. Can you honestly say it was fair before?"

Hmm. So he had seen her staring before. Ah well.

Juliet smirked in return. Stood up on her tiptoes and brought her lips near his.

"It's on."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: By the way, Juliet DID NOT violate the rules of the dare in that last little bit. She didn't actually kiss him... :D**

**As always, I'd love your thoughts and suggestions. They are always welcome :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Oh my gosh I'm actually posting again? NO WAY! In fact, I would have put this up last night... but every time I tried to upload the document FFnet like stopped working and never loaded the page. UGH! So this is another little filler chapter before I have to get going on some case stuff... I'm a little nervous that Juliet is kinda OOC- I like a strong Juliet, really. But the bet can't all be seduction.. I had to throw in SOME hurt/comfort right? Right? Anyone there?**

**Darn.**

**Thanks to xpsychxssjs for this particular chapter. *applauds***

**I'll see you in like 3 weeks! (Possibly sooner *fingers crossed*)**

* * *

><p>"All right, gang!" Shawn exclaimed rubbing his hands together. "I have a plan for how to get this done."<p>

Gus narrowed his eyes. "What kind of plan? Because, when it comes to your ideas.."

Shawn cut him short with a glare, pretending to be hurt. "Despite Gus's doubts, this plan is _fool-proof_."

"Get on with it Spencer," snapped an irritated Lassiter.

"Okay okay! We need to split up to investigate- we'll finish more quickly that way. See the people, chat with some employees and, best of all, ride the rides." Shawn grinned and Juliet rolled her eyes. Leave it to Shawn to find a way to have fun in Water World while investigating attempted murder. "Good?" Without waiting for a reply, Shawn clapped his hands together. "Good! Let's go!"

Juliet had only been walking for a few minutes when her arm was grabbed roughly. Whirling around she punched the person without seeing who it was. She looked down only to see that Shawn had been following her.

Gasping, she knelt down to help him up. "Shawn! Are you okay?"

Groaning, he wrenched himself to his feet. "I've been better... that's a wicked right hook you've got there, Jules..." Shawn smiled weakly and Juliet blushed, mortified that she had just assaulted her boyfriend.

"It's okay, Jules..." Shawn murmured. Suddenly, a mischievous smile crossed his face. "In fact...I think I deserve a kiss- you _did_ punch me. What do you say?" Juliet scowled, guilt forgotten.

"Not a chance, Shawn."

Shawn merely shrugged. "Okay, Jules, whatever you..." he trailed off, looking to a point beyond Juliet's shoulder. "Hey! We should go over there! That's the ride where they found Hayfield! It's closed for the day, but I can see the operator at the top..." Without bothering to wait for a reply, Shawn grabbed Juliet's arm once again and dragged her to the closed ride.

It wasn't until they were over halfway up the towering metal staircase that Shawn noticed something was wrong- Juliet had been silent the whole time. He looked down at Juliet concernedly. "What's wrong, Jules?" He became more alarmed when he realized a few silent tears were pouring down Juliet's face. "Jules? Are you okay?" He stepped in front of her, kneeling down. "Talk to me."

Juliet sank down to sit next to him, still crying. She leaned into Shawn's shoulder, and he let her cry into his bare chest. After a minute, he nudged her. "Are you okay Juliet?" he asked tentatively.

Juliet sniffed and looked up at him. "I'm sorry Shawn...it's just... we're so _high_ up and I'm..flashing back to...to _that_ night on the clock tower and Yin and it's just...I'll be okay….just give me a minute." Juliet wiped her eyes the back of her hand and gave a shuddering breath.

Shawn took her and folded her into his arms.

And somehow in the moments that followed Juliet's face ended up right next to his, her eyes red, and some last tears clung to her eyelashes. He was getting overwhelmed because he wanted nothing more than to comfort her somehow, to kiss her... But no. She would understand. He couldn't, not with the bet... anyway, how much could a kiss help Juliet right now?

So he sat next to her until Juliet was ready and they began to climb the stairs slowly. Juliet was clinging to his arm, and their hands were intertwined because, after all, the bet didn't mention anything about holding hands.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I am updating this story (well...obviously)! YAY! I'm very surprised...but then again...well. Here is how it works: I get my rear end in gear and it only takes me like an hour to write a chapter...at the most. The wait is from me thinking about what I will write or not having any time to do said writing. Now, I know I've said this before...but this really IS a filler chapter. Almost nothing happens and it's rather short, so I apologize! I had some other scenes planned for this but then I kind of lost momentum and just found a good enough place to end it.**

**I hope you guys like it! Feedback and suggestions are VERY much appreciated. And seriously..they are ALL (or at least almost all) used. This is beginning to feel like a collaborative story for me...between me and all ya'll!**

**For this chapter I need to thank Red Pen Ninja whose idea was the basis of this little chapter :) Join me in thanking her! THANK YOU RED PEN NINJA *claps***

**Thank you ALL very much though :) Enjoy! I'll see you sometime next week or so hopefully...after finals.**

* * *

><p>Shawn and Juliet made their way up to the top of the ride, and it was through an unspoken agreement that their hands drifted apart before reaching it. However, when the two were near the top, a man went rushing past them, going down the stairs. He was the stereotype of a surfer- blonde hair, tan, muscled legs and arms.<p>

Shawn called out to stop the man. "Hey! Dude wait!" The guy turned around. "Are you the operator for this ride?"

The man was fully stopped now, but remained where he was. "Yeah, why?" His eyes lingered on Juliet.

Juliet took this as an opportunity to both make Shawn jealous and get the man to talk, so she gave a fake smile. "Well, we had some questions...we were hoping you could maybe tell us about what happened here- we heard there was a body!" She brightened her smile.

The man walked slowly up to the step in front of Juliet, not noticing the look of distaste on Shawn's face. "Yeah I'm the operator...my name's Steve." He reached up to shake her hand.

"Juliet," came Jules's response.

A slightly regretful look came over the man's face. "Well I'm about to go on break...but if you don't mind waiting up here, I'll be back in about... 15 minutes."

Juliet smiled widely. "That's great! Thanks so much."

Steve smiled in return and, after holding her hand for a little _too _long, resumed jogging down the stairs.

Juliet turned to Shawn, hiding a smirk at his annoyed expression. She merely gave a shrug, saying innocently, "What?" as a response to his glowering.

"That guy was hitting on you, Jules!"

Juliet walked slowly around the little platform they were on, letting her fingers trail over the railing. She shrugged once more. "So? We'll get what we need now."

Shawn sighed and raised his hands in defeat. "Okay, Jules, I see your point..." They walked up the rest of the stairs in silence, until Shawn saw the ride at the top of them.

He gasped. "Jules! It's a water slide!" He laughed delightedly. "I LOVE these things!" Shawn grabbed Juliet's hand, dragging her over to the opening of the slide, which was sectioned off with the standard yellow police tape. She couldn't help but giggle at the enthusiasm of Shawn's reaction.

"What do you say, Jules? I bet we can ride this thing before he gets back!"

And just like that, Juliet's flipped from amused to annoyed. "Of course not Shawn! This is a crime scene!"

Shawn merely pouted. "But Jules!" he whined, cutting short after a glare from Juliet. "What else can we do?"

She spoke in an irritated tone. "Wait here for Steve to come back."

Shawn sighed.

This wasn't going quite the way he had planned.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Oh gosh. Oh man. It's been...more than two months. And my only excuse is that it is summer. I got so carried away in the thing that is freedom from school...that I didn't write anything for this story. But finally- finally! I have written the next chapter, and I can only hope that you will like it and maybe not hate me too much for the extended break. **

**I have worked out a lot of the story of the case, and a little on the dare, but still, I would LOVE some suggestions on anything you guys would be willing to share!**

**Because of this little bit of thought I have put into the story, hopefully the next update won't take nearly as long!**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Psych.**

* * *

><p>Shawn and Juliet sat alone at the top of the slide, waiting for Steve to return. Any attempt by Shawn to make conversation was met with an annoyed remark from Jules, and it was almost a relief when the two heard slapping steps that signaled the operator heading back from his break.<p>

Juliet fixed her expression into another bright smile when Steve came into view.

The operator returned with a grin, saying, "Hey Juliet...why don't we sit down?"

And without further ado, Steve placed a hand on her lower back and led her over to two chairs sitting a bit away from the ride, making Shawn grit his teeth.

Steve sat with Jules on the two chairs, leaving Shawn to stand awkwardly beside his girlfriend.

"So, what do you want to know?" Steve questioned, smiling warmly.

Juliet leaned forward, with a winning smile. "Well, we heard that someone found a body here!"

Steve leaned forward as well, whispering conspiratorially. "It was John Hayfield. He owns the park with his wife-"

"So who found him exactly?" Shawn interrupted loudly, cutting him off.

Steve's smile faded into something of a grimace, and reluctantly answered, apparently unwilling to take his eyes off Jules. "It was Brooke Hayfield. His step-daughter."

"Well what do they think happened?" Juliet bit her lip innocently.

"The police aren't sure... he was unconscious when she found him... I saw the guy as they brought him out on a stretcher." Steve lowered his voice. "He looked pretty messed up, bleeding all over, bruises too."

Juliet took the moment to her advantage and clapped a hand over her mouth, pretending to be horrified. "That's terrible!" she squealed.

Steve leaned forward even further and grasped her hand. "I know. But he'll be fine, I'm sure."

Shawn, who had been watching the whole time with an expression of deep distaste, jumped in.

"Who do you think did it?"

Steve looked taken aback, and merely stared at Shawn for a little while. Then, he replied, slowly, apparently thinking, "I'm not sure-"

"Well what's the wife like?" Shawn interrupted. "Did she have a motive?"

A look of suspicion could be seen on the ride operator's face now. "Well... there were rumors, you know when they got married..." But the man seemed unwilling to talk.

Juliet took the chance to stomp on Shawn's foot and shoot him a warning glare.

"What my..._friend_... meant to say is just... why would someone want to hurt John?" She smiled again at Steve, trying to repair the situation. They were undercover, and it wouldn't be very good to get caught only 20 minutes into the investigation.

Steve, his attention back to Jules, appeared happier to talk. "Well... John and his wife, Elizabeth, got married recently, after knowing each other for, like, 2 months. And it's also well known that John Hayfield is a very rich man." He gave Juliet a significant look. "So people are saying that she only married him for his money..."

Shawn and Juliet exchanged looks.

"Well, thank you so much for telling me this," Juliet smiled brilliantly. "It was _such _an interesting story!"

The two of them stood up, and Steve grinned. "It was my pleasure, Juliet."

Then, unexpectedly, he pulled her into an embrace. "Here's my number..." he murmured in her ear, while sliding a piece of paper into her hand. "Call me anytime."

Shawn, having barely constrained himself for the last fifteen minutes, finally cracked when he saw Steve's hands creeping farther and farther down on Juliet's back, and in a flash, punched him.

Juliet cried out in shock as the man slumped against her, Shawn having apparently knocked him out.

"Shawn!" she shouted. "Shawn! Why would you do that?"

But Shawn wasn't next to her. After dumping Steve unceremoniously into the chair he had previously occupied, Juliet searched the small platform they were on.

It didn't take long to find him, crouched over by the barrier, cradling his hand to his chest and whimpering.

With an exasperated sound, Juliet marched over to him. "Shawn?"

His voice was shaky. "I think...I think I broke my hand!"

Juliet rolled her eyes but knelt beside him. Inspecting it carefully, she murmured "It'll be fine Shawn. Anyway, you kind of deserve it."

Shawn shot an angry glare in her direction. "He was being a total d-"

"Shawn!" Juliet cut him off, warningly. "You shouldn't have punched him."

"But Jules!"

She shook her head, still scowling, although she couldn't help but be in a slightly better mood.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Oh guys I'm sorry yet again! I can't believe I have such a problem updating this story :( This also, is a short chapter that ends in a wee bit of a cliffy...but I hope you like it anyway!**

**By the way, thank you SO MUCH for your continued support of this story! I love you guys more than you will ever know :D**

**Side Note: I just realized- I'm not sure what the deal is with Shawn's psychicness in this story...I can't remember if I addressed it yet. Or if Jules knows he isn't psychic yet. I know in this chapter, I have Lassie say something about it...but if you guys have any advice/feedback/suggestions on that front, it would be welcome! **

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: Psych isn't mine.<strong>

* * *

><p>"I have an idea!" Shawn's voice rang out excitedly.<p>

Juliet shot a disparaging look at her boyfriend from her chair. Steve, the handsy operator, was still unconscious, slumped in the other.

"We should be here when he wakes up Shawn, we need to explain what happened..." Juliet scowled once more. "And we can see what happens when I tell him you punched him in the face."

Shawn stood, still holding one of his hands gingerly. "You _know_ he deserved it, Jules! And anyway, you don't even want to _hear _my _amazing_ idea?" He walked over, kneeling in front of Juliet, smiling charmingly.

Juliet rolled her eyes, but couldn't hide a small smile. "Fine. What is it?"

Shawn beamed, jumping up. "Think about it! We got a little evidence from this guy-" he waved a careless hand at the man, "-but I say we can get more!"

Shawn walked over to the entrance of the slide. "So here's the plan- I ride this water slide, looking for evidence on the way down," he added, nodding diplomatically, "and you meet me at the bottom! It's perfect! If we leave now, we can even get back before this idiot wakes up-"

Shawn cut himself off when he saw Juliet's expression. She was glaring at him, and stood up as well. "Shawn I _told_ you already- this is evidence! You can't just ride this ride! Shawn!"

Shawn was currently ripping off the police tape that was covering the opening to the slide. Juliet grabbed his wrist to stop him, angry and desperate.

"Shawn! You don't even know what's in this slide! John Hayfield could have been hurt by anything, and it could have been in this ride! You can't just-"

Shawn merely rolled his eyes, ripping his wrist away from Juliet. "The guy was _beaten_ Jules, I'm sure I'll be fine."

And with that, he was gone, shooting down the dark green tube.

* * *

><p>Juliet was at the bottom of the ride, standing in the searing sunlight.<p>

"Spencer will be fine, O'Hara- I don't see why you're so worked up..."

After Shawn went down the slide, Juliet had run down the stairs, deserting Steve without a thought. She had then called Lassiter and Gus, though only her partner answered.

"It's been more than five minutes already, Carlton, no water slide goes _that _long.."

Lassiter shook his head, looking exasperated. "Well then he's probably looking for evidence, or...channeling spirits or whatever the hell it is that psychics do-"

Suddenly though, his words were interrupted by Shawn shooting out into the pool.

Juliet sighed in relief, preparing to lecture Shawn as she walked over to the side of the water.

Something was wrong, though, and her momentary relief was crowded out by fear.

Shawn was lying face down in the pool, not moving.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Oh guys. Jeez oh man. I am SO sorry for not updating for...what has it been...6 months? If you want to see any specific reasons, read my profile, but just accept my profuse apologies in the mean time. Really though, I have no excuse, for waiting so long to finally just finish this chapter (which took less than an hour to crank out, once I put my mind to it). **

**I know this isn't really a very long chapter, and also it has barely any plot development. But I promise I am getting to that. And I also promise that I will never just not finish this story. You will see the day that it is marked "complete" even if that's months/years from now. That's probably not too comforting, but it's the best I can do for now.**

**Anyway, if you wanna thank someone for the updates, thank iacomary97 specifically, because her recent review was what motivated me to keep writing this story. But also, thanks everyone who has reviewed, favorited/alerted, this story, both in the beginning of the story and in this month-long hiatus. You are truly awesome.**

**Side Note: This chapter has a...eh not quite cliff-hanger-y ending, but one that makes it seem overly dramatic and cliche for me. Tell me what you think :)**

**So, enjoy, and expect an update soon :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the show Psych, nor the characters. EMT guy is mine though ;)**

* * *

><p>Everything was black. It was as if his senses were cut off, not feeling, not seeing, not hearing. Nothing.<p>

Then, suddenly, as if some third party had flicked a switch, Shawn could smell. Still only offered darkness, he took the opportunity to sniff out his location.

The smell of chlorine, sharp and acidic, was immediately apparent.

His inability to see, however, was still confounding, and it took much longer for him to realize that his eyes were closed.

And so he opened them.

Shawn's first sight was of Gus, talking animatedly to an attractive woman (since when did Gus have game?), and then of a pair of unfamiliar brown eyes- an EMT was leaning over him, blocking his view of everything else.

Hearing was next on the list of regained senses, and Shawn was able to finish the end of the EMT's sentence-

"-doing, Mr. Spencer?"

Confused, Shawn only blinked, then becoming aware of a dull throbbing at his forehead. Gus moved away from the unnamed girl to stare down at him disconcertingly, until Shawn shot him a look of irritation. The EMT frowned slightly, then repeated the question. "How are you doing, Mr. Spencer?"

Shawn rolled his eyes, and groaned as he struggled to sit up. "As good as one of those moles does, I'm guessing."

Although this apparently did nothing to alleviate the EMT's concern, Gus jumped right in. "Shawn, if you mean one of those little animals in that carnival game, you should know that I've _always_ found those creepy." Gus turned to the girl who was standing a few feet behind him. "In fact, did you know that the game origin- what?"

Shawn merely sighed, then used the hand he had pinched Gus with to pull him close enough to whisper, "Dude, you aren't _seriously _talking to a hot girl about _Whac-a-mole_, are you?"

Gus wrenched himself back slightly, looking offended. "_You_ were the one who brought it up, Shawn. I'm sure Alicia doesn't mind-" he turned back to address this Alicia, only to finally see that she was gone.

Deeply annoyed, and obviously about to yell at him, Gus was cut off by Shawn before he could begin.

"Why isn't Jules at my bedside, Gus, distraught at the thought of any harm coming to me?"

Gus calmed down slightly, apparently remembering that Shawn was currently on a gurney at a water park. "She's with Lassie- they're looking for evidence."

Shawn shot Gus a confused look. "Evidence about what?"

Gus cleared his throat. "Evidence that explains why you went down a water slide and came down knocked unconscious. "


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hey guys! Yay for a quick update, right? Also, I tried to make this one longer, and I think I at least made it a more reasonable length than pretty much any of the others have been (especially the last one-sorry about that, again!). **

**Enjoy, guys, and tell me what you think!**

**Disclaimer: Psych- not mine.**

* * *

><p>"That's one big water slide! I used to love these when I was little..." The words slipped carelessly out of his mouth before he could take them back, but it only took one annoyed growl from Detective Lassiter to cut the words short.<p>

Detective O'Hara, currently leaning backward slightly in order to look at the top of the bright blue slide, spared a moment to look over her sunglasses at her partner and scold him, murmuring warningly, "Carlton..."

Detective Lassiter protested immediately, taking off his sunglasses as he whined. "But O'Hara! We need to-"

Detective O'Hara silenced him with a look. She motioned over to the sign that held the information about the ride. "I'm gonna go read about this thing." She threw McNab a stern glance before jabbing a finger in her partner's direction. "Behave."

And so it was that Detective Lassiter and Buzz McNab were stuck in a very hot, uncomfortable silence.

McNab tugged at his collar- he was decked out in full uniform. He was only called out because of what had happened to Shawn. He cleared his throat. "Sure is hot out here..." Detective Lassiter shot an annoyed look at him. "Well, if you had come dressed like I _told_ you to, that wouldn't be a problem, McNab."

Buzz fell silent, but he couldn't help but shift restlessly under the hot sun. It wasn't his fault that Francie had answered the phone, and didn't mention any need for swimwear. He had just assumed it was official police business, not knowing he was supposed to be undercover (although he wasn't mad at his wife- she _had_ given him some lemonade before he left).

Fortunately Detective O'Hara returned soon after the irritable exchange.

"There's nothing of interest about the slide- just some rules about riding it." She stopped in front of the two men, staring at McNab, and frowned slightly. "What's wrong, Buzz?"

McNab sounded only slightly less chipper than usual as he answered. "It's just a little hot, Detective."

Juliet laughed, and nodded. "I'll be right back."

And so it was that Buzz McNab found himself in a pair of bright red swim trunks.

* * *

><p>The hot sun pounded down on Gus and Shawn as they walked through the water park. Shawn had been released from the paramedics with no serious injuries, so they were celebrating by taking a break from the case.<p>

Gus glanced at his friend. Shawn looked fine to him, but he couldn't help but think that something was...different. He seemed happier maybe, even though he'd just taken a ride down a very questionable water slide.

As he studied Shawn, a group of giggling girls stumbled in front of them. Gus could make out some _no you do it_ 's before any of them said a word.

Then, a bikini-clad teenage girl stepped out from the group, smiling broadly, confident. She smiled at Shawn. "Hey. My name's Callie, and these are my friends Emily, Gabrielle and Abby." She pointed to each of the giggly girls behind her as she said their names. "We just thought you guys looked kinda hot." Her grin told Gus that she was perfectly aware of the double meaning of the word. "Wanna maybe go hang out in one of the pools with us?"

Gus hesitated, if only because the girls were probably not even 18 years old. "Well, as much as I'd love..." he began, only to be cut off by Shawn.

"How about a rain-check, Kayley?" Shawn looked slightly apologetic, but ignored the girl's upset reminder that her name was in fact _Callie_, and began walking away, Gus following closely behind.

Okay, now that was weird. Gus doubted Shawn would have taken the girls up on their offer, but he wouldn't have lost a chance to flirt and show off a little.

Unfortunately, Shawn quickly noticed Gus's intense studying of him. "What's the face for, Gus?"

Gus recovered, muttering, "Just wondering if you got your personality knocked out of you by that slide..."

Shawn wasn't listening, however. "Gus, dude, look! _Snow cones_!" he nearly yelled, tugging on Gus's arm.

He ran off towards the stand, leaving Gus behind.

Something weird was going on with Shawn.

...but in the mean time, some snow cones would be pretty dope. So Gus pushed away his suspicions and hurried after his friend.

* * *

><p>The three of them stared up at the blue slide. McNab was now dressed properly, but it didn't help them figure out exactly how they were supposed to investigate the slide without going down it themselves.<p>

"Maybe we can just ask Shawn what he remembers," McNab suggested.

Juliet replied without looking away from the ride. "No, the EMTs already did, and he said he couldn't remember anything after about halfway through the ride..."

"Could we take the slide apart...no?" McNab stopped his train of thought when Detective Lassiter shot him an exasperated look.

"That would take too long, McNab." He paused, irritated. "Maybe we could just make Spencer go down it again and..." This time Detective O'Hara was the one that stopped the idea in its tracks. Lassiter persisted. "What? I'm sure if he can somehow get down without getting hurt again-"

Detective O'Hara interrupted. "We are _not_ asking him to go through that thing again, Carlton." Her expression was determined. "We'll just have to find some other way..."

Then, suddenly, Juliet seemed to get an idea. McNab watched as her eyes flicked to him briefly, then flashed to meet her partner's. The two of them finally turned away from the slide, moving until they were both looking at McNab rather intensely.

Buzz cleared his throat awkwardly. "...Can I help you, detectives?"

Detective Lassiter smiled a little too broadly for his liking. "We're gonna need you to go down the slide, McNab." Detective O'Hara was nodding along with his words.

Buzz McNab merely looked back up the slide, remembering that it brought about the death of one man, and Shawn's injury.

Was it too cliché to gulp?


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: WOOOO I'M BACK! And I bring with me the longest chapter yet to hopefully, ahem, smooth things over (although it's only been a...what three month wait this time?...Yeah I know, still too long.)**

**So apologies for the wait but I decided to write the next chapter and got hit with PLOT. WHOA. It's bombarded me! YAY! So hopefully expect more updates soon as I am about to go write some more!**

**So I know it's been a while so here's a quick little refresher of things you need to know:  
>-Shawn and Juliet have this dare going where they can't kiss (I think for a week?). Neither have broken. YET. BAHA.<strong>

**-Brooke Hayfield found her stepfather John Hayfield beaten up at the bottom of this slide that Shawn rode later. Shawn ended up unconscious at the end.**

**-John Hayfield married his new wife Elizabeth after 2 months of knowing her and there are rumors about financial motivations.**

**-The team is 'undercover' at a water park. Gus is suspicious of Shawn's odd behavior. No one knows about Shawn and Juliet's relationship. Shawn's still psychic. McNab is there, about to be subjected to some plan of Jules and Lassie yet to be revealed, in order to figure out what the heck is up with this death slide.**

**So that seems to be about it! Thanks for all the reviews/alerts/favorites/general support even though I probably don't deserve any of it! Also, I just spent an hour and a half writing this so I didn't really care to go back and edit (hopefully there aren't any giant mistakes, but tell me if ya spot something!) Sorry about that!**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Ya'll know this by now right? I don't own Psych at all. Or Water World. Or...snow cones? **

* * *

><p>Gus, snow cone in hand, was standing in the intense heat by the kiddie pool. He was beginning to wish he had sunglasses, in fact, the sun was so bright. He stared into the glimmering water, still trying to pinpoint to himself how exactly Shawn was different...but the sweet syrup from his snack was taking the edge off his curiosity..<p>

"Mmmmmmmm!"

The sound of pleasure from Shawn broke into his thoughts.

"This snow cone is pure pleasure man!" Shawn was grinning as he looked up to his friend. "I mean seriously, how are all those vendors not _millionaires_ by now? I would _totally_ eat these 24/7 if I could-"

"You mean if you could use my credit card nonstop don't you? Oh wait! _You already do_." Gus was acting annoyed, but his heart wasn't in it. The summer heat seemed to soften his irritation. "_Man_ though it's scorching out here!"

Shawn merely laughed. "Well maybe you should have gotten a chair in the shade," he motioned to himself, seated under an umbrella near the pool's edge. The _last_ chair available.

"Come on, Shawn, you took the last one!"

"I won it fair and square," Shawn smirked. "And I'm pretty sure if you ask anyone they'll tell you only _winners_ get to sit in the shady chair."

"You _pushed_ me-" Gus began heatedly, but suddenly cut off. Shawn glanced around to see the reason but he stopped when his gaze fell on a little girl standing next to Gus.

"Hello mister?" The child tugged on Gus's swim trunks. "Do you have any money?"

Gus shot a confused look towards Shawn before kneeling down in front of the girl. She immediately adopted a pleading look.

"It's _so_ hot, mister, and I was hoping to get a snow cone-" At this the girl shot a longing glance towards Shawn's half eaten snow cone.

Shawn grinned at his friend. "Oh come on, Gus." He leaned towards the little girl conspiratorially. "Gus _loves_ to lend money to his friends."

The girl brightened and looked to Gus once more. "Well I'm Shanna Hayfield! I can be your friend, can't I?"

Shawn and Gus exchanged glances after hearing her name, but before either could respond to Shanna, a tall brunette interrupted, a scowl on her face.

"Shanna! What have I told you about talking to strangers?" Shanna's expression flipped immediately to one of irritation as well. "Go on, get back in the pool!"

And so with a little prompting, Shanna ran back into the water, muttering about the woman ruining everything.

The woman turned her glare to Shawn and Gus. "What do you think you're doing? Do you even _have_ any kids?"

Gus gulped, but Shawn was quick.

Grabbing his friend's hand, Shawn pointed in the general direction of the pool. "Yep! Little Jimmy!" He shifted his gaze and directed his next words to the children. "Be careful Jimmy! Your daddies don't want you to get hurt!"

Gus ripped his hand out of Shawn's angrily but said nothing.

The woman was still suspicious, so Shawn hurried on. "So is Shanna your daughter?"

Her expression twisted. "No. She's my stepsister." Her irritation seemed to have faded though. "My name's Brooke, by the way."

Shawn smiled and stood. "I'm Shawn and this," he clapped his hand on Gus's shoulder, "is Gus."

Brooke Hayfield returned the smile, and shook Shawn's hand.

"Do you mind if we have a word with you, Brooke?" Gus asked eagerly. Brooke looked apologetic, saying she had to return to her stepsister, and just like that she was gone.

* * *

><p>Shawn and Gus were walking, deciding to leave the kiddie pool behind for the day, Shawn thinking while Gus talked. Well, Shawn thought while Gus ranted.<p>

"-really tired of you doing stuff like that Shawn! First she thinks we're creepers, and then BAM we're actually just gay!"

Shawn yawned pointedly. "Are you going to be done any time soon?" Gus opened his mouth angrily, but he steamrollered on. "In fact, Gus, you should be thanking me! Now she likes us, and we need her to solve this case!"

"You mean _you_ need her to fool the police yet again into thinking you're psychic..." Gus muttered, but he couldn't deny that Shawn had a point.

"Anyway, I was thinking, wasn't that little girl totally weird?"

Gus frowned. "What do you mean? All she wanted was a snow cone. Seems normal to me."

"No no no Gus, you didn't see it. Those innocent "pity me" expressions she was shooting you? And the way she was so annoyed when her sister-"

"Stepsister, Shawn," Gus interrupted matter-of-factly.

Shawn glared. "Yes, alright, when her _stepsister_ interrupted her." Shawn nodded sagely. "It seems to me that she was running a little con on you."

Gus was irritated once more. "So what, now I'm the guy that's so gullible a little girl can pull one over on me?" He shook his head. "Nope Shawn, she was reeling you in too."

Shawn sighed dramatically. "Fine Gus! She was hoping to trick _both_ of us. Happy?" Gus shrugged, but was smirking. "My point is that she is a little con-artist in training. _And_ she is Brooke's _stepsister_. Maybe that's a trick she got from her father. You know, the guy that was found _half_-_dead_ this morning?"

"Ohhhhhh!"

Shawn nodded. "Exactly. Isn't it possible that daddy ran a con on someone who maybe wasn't as graceful about it as we were?"

Gus grinned. "And right there, that's motive."

Queue fist bump.

The two of them strolled a little further. In the silence, Gus returned to his thoughts about Shawn. He glanced over at his friend, trying to study him covertly.

"Whatcha doin' buddy?" Drat. Shawn caught him. Gus scrambled to come up with an excuse.

"Uh, that's, uh, a pretty nasty bruise Shawn."

Shawn grinned and nodded appreciatively. "Isn't it? The EMT guy said I must have hit my head on something...when I uh..." Shawn trailed off, apparently thinking hard. Gus waved a hand in front of Shawn's face.

"You still in there, Shawn?" And just like that Shawn snapped back, a stunned look on his face.

"Of _course_!" He clapped a hand to his forehead, immediately groaning when a sudden pain there reminded him of of the state his head was in. "Note to self; don't hit bruises."

"Shawn?"

"Right! Ugh I _can't_ believe I overlooked it!" With an impatient cough, his attention was brought back to his friend. "Oh yeah sorry Gus!" He grinned. "I guess sometimes I forget you don't have," he raised a hand to his temple, "_the_ _gift_."

Gus slapped Shawn's hand down, earning a pout. "Come on man!"

"_Shawn_!"

Shawn smiled again. "Okay sorry. So you know how I went on that slide?"

"Oh no, Shawn, I have no recollection of that whatsoever!" Gus muttered to himself sarcastically.

Shawn continued, ignoring him. "Well the EMT guy said I'd have a bruise on my forehead for a while, but I just assumed I hit it on the pool floor or something once I was out, but what if it's why I was knocked out?" He paused and turned towards Gus. "You said it was bad right?"

Gus studied the bruise once more. "Well yeah, it is."

"Bad enough for the hit that caused it to knock me out?"

Gus cocked his head, thinking. "Probably," he said finally.

Shawn jumped back, clapping his hands. "_Aha_! Then I think I know how old Johnny boy and I were hurt going down the slide!"

Shawn began to run off, but paused after Gus shouted to him.

"Shawn! Wait! Where're you going?"

Shawn grinned. "Gotta fact-check buddy!"

* * *

><p>When Gus finally caught up to Shawn, the latter was using a pay phone that hung on a wall under an awning. Gus kneeled over, putting his hands on his knees while panting. He nodded to a nearby girl (a <em>pretty<em> girl, mind you) and held up a hand as if to say '_no, don't mind me_' and slid down the brick wall to sit down on the ground next to the doors to the bathrooms.

"-are you sure he can't do anything?" Shawn sounded surprised. "Yes, sorry, I understand. Thanks anyway." He hung up the phone and plopped down next to Gus, who had caught his breath and wasted no time in bombarding Shawn with questions.

"Who were you talking to?"

Shawn glanced over at Gus. "Who that? Just the Chief."

"Why?"

"I wanted Woody to give me information about John Hayfield, but _apparently_ Woody is a 'coronary'-"

Gus couldn't help himself. "You mean a _coroner_, Shawn."

"Yeah, that." Gus frowned, expecting the usual 'I've heard it both ways' response. "Anyway, Woody only deals with dead people -can you believe that? How morbid is _that_ job?- and John Hayfield wasn't killed, just severely beaten."

Gus narrowed his eyes. "How'd you pay for the phone call, Shawn?" He was suspicious, and quickly made sure his wallet was still in it's little plastic bag (waterproof! They _were_ at a water park) in his pocket.

Shawn looked affronted. "Why, Gus, it's not like I have _no_ money!"

Gus raised an eyebrow and Shawn chuckled. "Alright fine, I got the cash from the lovely Melinda over there." He motioned to the girl Gus had nodded to, who was now walking away with a group of girls.

Gus was happy to see that Shawn seemed to be returning to his hyper, more chipper, personality, but there was no avoiding the faint guilt that seemed to taint Shawn's grin.

Something was definitely going on with Shawn, but Gus shoved that thought back, deciding to focus on the case at the moment.

Suddenly, Shawn was grinning fully once more, and he bounced to a standing position as Gus struggled to get to his feet.

"Alright, man, let's go find Lassie and Jules!" He rubbed his hands together and clapped once, before beginning to set off, apparently instantly in a much better mood.

"Shawn!" Once again, Gus found himself having to reign Shawn in. "What about 'fact-checking'?"

Shawn turned back to Gus, his expression falling slightly. "Ah, right, that." He smiled once more. "Well, I have an idea, buddy. You fact-check it for me?" Shawn looked so hopeful that Gus snorted before nodding his assent.

"Right so it goes like this..."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Quick note! Sorry this was all Shawn and Gus, but I had to get some things out of the way before going back to our heroic McNab! You'll see him next time, along with the rest of the gang as well. Should be fun, no?**

**If you review I'll be sure to send a nice thank you PM back, as I very much appreciate them all :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hey guys I'm back! I know it's been years and years practically, but hopefully this chapter is good enough to make up for an eensy bit of the wait? **

**I actually had the first third of this written way back in early-ish July, but I felt weird only publishing 400 words worth of story. What do you think? Short chapters that come every month at least, or longer-ish chapters once every couple of months (ack, I know neither of those are good options, but length and quality or frequency?).**

**I hope you guys enjoy, despite the fact I keep making you wait so long between updates. Hopefully I'll be able to channel my procrastination on school work into this story (which is what I did today...).**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Psych. Is that even necessary to say?**

* * *

><p>Carlton Lassiter was professional down to the very last drop. He took his job seriously and was not going to let the fact that it was currently boiling outside alter his behavior.<p>

...At least, that was what he told himself as he watched his partner and Buzz McNab enjoy the cool water of the pool they were dangling their feet into.

The two were lounging side by side, laughing about something or other, clearly refreshed from their break. Lassiter was standing a few steps behind them, hands on his hips as he tried to maintain decorum in the heat.

McNab wasn't even acting all freaked out anymore- Juliet had received a text message from Spencer telling her they'd meet at the slide. O'Hara had shrugged to Lassiter, said something about how they might as well wait, and then wheedled McNab into the pool beside her (after getting a flat-out refusal and disparaging look from Carlton).

A bead of sweat dripped down his forehead, and Lassiter grimaced as Juliet and Buzz got into some sort of juvenile splash fight, shrieks and laughs ringing out from the pair.

Lassiter swallowed.

However, he was saved from ruining his professionalism and joining in with the sudden arrival of Spencer and his sidekick.

"Jules!" Shawn crowed at Lassiter's partner, running up to her. He only had time for a wave and a smile before jumping into the pool with a shout of excitement, though, as Gus chose to sit next to McNab and Juliet on the side of the pool.

Spencer's glee was dampened when he stood up in only about a foot and a half of water, and he limped over to sit next to Juliet, casting a forlorn glance towards her.

"Juliet, I seem to have scratched my knee." And then, to Lassiter's irritation, he pouted, showing her the wounded area.

Before O'Hara responded, however, Gus interrupted with a snort. "Dude, that's nothing! Remember that time my knee got all torn up-"

Shawn scoffed. "What, falling off your tricycle?" He grinned. "Or how about when you were walking home with Mindy and you were so distracted that you-"

"Shawn!"

Gus looked put out, while O'Hara and McNab seemed to be trying not to laugh. Spencer flashed a wink and a smile towards Juliet, signaling to Lassiter that it was time to intervene or risk having some kind of aneurysm borne out of annoyance.

Lassiter cleared his throat loudly, leveling a hard look at Spencer when he turned around. "Didn't you have a better reason to come than flirt with O'Hara?"

Shawn sprang up to his feet. "Why Lassie-face how did you know? Maybe I'm not the only psychic here," he exclaimed, nudging the detective.

However, upon seeing Lassiter's glare Shawn hurried on. "As a matter of fact, lady," he smiled and Juliet, "and gentlemen, I have divined what happened to the men of the hour, Mr. Hayfield and me." He flashed a grin.

Shawn leaped into the water once more, 'injured' knee forgotten, and ran up to the big blue slide, patting it affectionately. "Now, class, who can answer this question- what do John Hayfield and I have in common?"

"You both went down the slide?" Buzz ventured.

Shawn shrugged. "Other ideas?"

"You both came out injured?" Juliet guessed

"Getting close, Jules..."

Lassiter scowled. "You both deserved to have gone gotten those injuries?" he muttered to himself.

Shawn looked affronted. "Why Carlton Lassiter! That's just mean!"

Lassiter leveled a look of annoyance towards Shawn. "Can you just get on with it, Spencer?"

Shawn sighed disappointedly. "Yes Lassie, I could but then no one else would learn- that's how you get smarter, by making mistakes-"

"You both got hit in the head!" Gus yelled out, actually raising his hand.

Shawn shot Gus an exasperated look. "Gus! You knew the answer already. You're supposed to let everyone else guess first."

Gus looked irritated. "Everyone did guess Shawn-"

"Don't be that kid, Gus," Shawn sighed, patting his friend on the shoulder. "No one likes a know-it-all."

"Shawn!"

Juliet intervened. "Guys, not that this is a complete waste of time," (her expression said otherwise), "but can we get back to the case?"

Shawn faux-bowed. "Anything for you Jules. As Gus pointed out, both Mr. Hayfield and I came out of this death slide here with magnificent bruises on our foreheads."

"How do you know Mr. Hayfield had a bruise on his forehead?" McNab interjected.

Shawn smiled. "Well, Buzz, I'm glad you asked." He put a hand to his temple and raised an eyebrow. "Of course, I determined this psychically, but if you want proof-" He turned to Lassiter. "Lassie, read his file."

Lassiter sighed, but took out his phone and read from the electronic copy. "...John Hayfield was admitted with three fractured ribs, a contusion on his forehead-"

Contusion? Shawn mouthed at Gus.

Gus rolled his eyes, but answered, telling him it was a bruise, earning a thumbs up from Shawn.

"-as well as multiple-"

"Thanks Lassie, that's good," Shawn interrupted. "Now," he said, turning bak to the group, " as we are all smart people, and know that a 'contusion' is just a fancy name for bruise, I think you'll see that I was right." He steamrollered on. "So, we know that two people went down that slide- one devastatingly handsome, I should add-"

"It's nice of you to say that about Mr. Hayfield, Shawn," Juliet smirked, earning a pout from Shawn.

"...and both came out with one common injury; a cotusion on the forehead," Shawn finished.

"It's a contusion, Shawn," Gus muttered.

Shawn ignored him. "However, Mr. Hayfield was injured far more excessively than the handsome Mr. Spencer, drawing the question- how the heck could a slide have caused that much damage?" He smiled, pleased with himself. "Answer: it couldn't have. Obviously, the other stuff was done at the hands of a person."

Juliet interrupted, frowning. "Shawn, you haven't really told us anything new. It was never a theory that the slide was the source of Mr. Hayfield's injuries," she turned to Lassiter for confirmation, and he nodded.

Shawn was still smiling. "Ah, ah, ah, Jules," he said, raising a finger. "There's more. I have also divined some details of this beating."

He ran over to the opening of the slide where it dumped you into the pool. "Here's a question for you to ponder. Why didn't John Hayfield defend himself when he was attacked?" He glanced towards Lassiter once more. "Nothing to indicate that he fought back, right Lassie face?"

Lassiter nodded again in confirmation, ignoring the nickname. "No defensive wounds were found."

Shawn smiled, satisfied. "So, why wouldn't he fight back? Who just sits still for someone to beat them half to death? And why did he go down the slide, fully clothed, anyway?"

"Someone pushed him?" Buzz suggested.

Shawn shrugged. "Could be, Buzz, but that doesn't explain the extent of Hayfield's injuries."

"Maybe the guy was bigger than him?" Gus asked.

Shawn shook his head. "I don't think so, Gus. I mean, if someone comes up to me and tries to beat me up, I'll still struggle even if he's a behemoth."

"Well, this isn't about what you would do, Shawn, it's about Mr. Hayfield," Gus argued.

Shawn frowned, waving his hand dismissively. "Fine, Gus, maybe the guy was a giant dude, but I think my theory is better."

This time it was Buzz who spoke. "What if he knew his attacker?"

Shawn actually looked surprised. "Huh. Nice Buzz!" He held his hand up for a fist bump, which Buzz participated in, looking pleased. "It is possible that whoever beat up Hayfield was an acquaintance."

Gus looked puzzled. "Why wouldn't he fight back if it was someone he knew?"

Lassiter actually deigned to answer him. "Well, they they could have taken him by surprise, because he thought he could trust them."

"Or maybe he even didn't want to fight back because he didn't want to hurt them?" Juliet added.

Shawn interrupted, clapping his hands together once. "All right, gang, good theorizing! But, let's get back to my original theory. I think that this forehead hit was what knocked both Mr. Hayfield and me out. You can't defend yourself if you're unconscious, right?"

"But then why didn't the guy finish him off? He could have just beat him to death, right?" Gus questioned.

"Maybe someone interrupted them?" Buzz proposed.

"So why wasn't the attacker reported, then?" Juliet challenged.

Shawn sighed. "Not that this isn't a blast, but I'm tired of all this talking." Lassiter rolled his eyes. "Let's get to the fun part of my theory, shall we?"

Grinning, Shawn jumped out of the cool water, the others following reluctantly. He faced the others. "We all know there is something in that slide," he pointed towards the top of the ride, "that knocked Mr. Hayfield and me out." He smiled and glanced towards Buzz. "So let's find out what it is."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Haha another cliff-y. Well, not really, but another chapter of waiting to see what McNab's gotta do!**

**I think I kinda got lost in the case in the last bit of this chapter, so sorry if it wasn't as funny as it could have been!**

**Thank you all for reading :) **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hey guys! I was going through my email, and happened to see a bunch of reviews for this story and it reminded me that I haven't updated it in like, a year. Um. Sorry? I am, really, though, cause that's a crazy amount of time to wait for an update. Anyway, I felt bad, so I thought I might try to write the next chapter, and it was weirdly easy to do, which it never is. So I went with the feeling and wrote it out for you guys!**

**Anyway, thank you so much for the continued reading and reviewing of this story! I'm glad you guys like it :)**

**I hope (if anyone is still reading) that you enjoy it!**

* * *

><p><strong>Oh, P.S. if you don't remember:<br>-Juliet and Shawn have a bet not to kiss each other**

**-No one else knows they are dating**

**-Steve the water slide operator has a thing for Jules**

**-McNab is going to go down the slide**

**-Shawn previously did, and came out with a big ol' bruise **

**-Gus thinks something is off with Shawn**

**That should be it! If you prefer to just re-read, it probably won't take long, and this chapter might make a little bit more sense in context.**

**Also, Disclaimer: Psych is not mine at all. Ya'll. (Rhyming!)**

* * *

><p>"Um, I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with this." McNab was currently standing in front of the opening to what Shawn had been calling the 'death slide.'<p>

"Ah, come on Buzz, it won't be that bad." Shawn slapped his friend on the shoulder reassuringly, as he peered over the edge of the ride. If he squinted, he could see Juliet and Steve at a café table…

They had needed a way to get to the slide, and the only way to do that was to get Steve away from it. Juliet had, of course, flatly refused when Shawn suggested knocking the guy out again, so instead the plan was to charm him out of the vicinity. Juliet and Shawn had agreed that Jules would get Steve to leave.

Of course, since the last time they met Shawn had punched Steve, he wasn't allowed to accompany Juliet, instead being forced to wait by the foot of the slide while she flirted with another guy.

"What are you looking at?" Buzz had joined Shawn by the edge of the railing, squinting through the sunlight to try and see what Shawn was so absorbed with.

Shawn looked to the side at McNab and sighed. "It's nothing, man." He clapped his hands together, turning back to the slide. "So, let's figure this thing out."

Buzz swallowed. "Right. Uh, are you _sure _this is going—"

"Of course I'm sure, Buzz!" Shawn interrupted. "They don't call me psychic for nothing, you know, and I'm not sensing any danger from this slide." He steered McNab to the opening of the ride, who raised his eyebrows.

"There's no danger from the _death _slide?"

Shawn laughed, patting McNab on the back. "Nah, Buzz, not for you. You're like eleven feet tall." He leaned on the railing in front of McNab and next to the slide. "You'll be able to monkey crawl down the thing to see what's wrong. The ride isn't even on, so there won't be any water to make the walls slippery."

At McNab's obvious hesitation, Shawn pushed further. "Come on, Buzz, you and I both know that John Hayfield wasn't killed by a _slide_. You'll be fine, too."

Buzz nodded and smiled. "I guess you're right Shawn."

Shawn smirked as Buzz, who sat on the edge of the slide, half of his legs reaching into the tube. "Of course I'm right. Now, you have fun and find us some evidence!" And with a little parting shove from Shawn, McNab was gone.

* * *

><p>Gus sat with his feet in the cool water and glanced up at Lassiter. The detective was standing, arms folded, a frown on his face. He had declined to join Gus in soaking his feet, despite the fact that it was like one thousand degrees outside.<p>

Gus sighed. "Come on, Lassie, why don't you just dip a foot in? The water's great."

Lassiter spared a glance for Gus, shaking his head. "I'm not a child like you and Spencer, Guster. I can stand a little heat without losing my professionalism."

Gus chuckled. "Um, sorry Lassie, but I think sweating in a Hawaiian shirt means you've already gone down that path."

Lassiter scowled, but relented, seating himself next to Gus and slipping his legs into the water.

They sat in silence for several seconds before Gus decided to ask.

"Hey Lassiter, have you noticed anything…off… about Shawn?" Gus ventured.

Carlton glared at him. "Sorry to burst your bubble, Guster, but we aren't going to sit here and talk about feelings. Or Spencer. Or Spencer's feelings. Or your feelings about Spencer's feelings."

Gus exhaled in annoyance. "Come on, Lassie, I can't be the only one that's seen Shawn being weird—weirder than normal," he interrupted himself, anticipating Lassiter's incredulous glare.

Lassiter sighed in annoyance. "Fine. What are you talking about?"

Gus frowned. "I don't know. It's just…Shawn's been different. He acts less crazy and hyper, isn't flirting with every girl who shows an interest... it's weird," he repeated.

Lassiter rolled his eyes. "And that's supposed to be a bad thing? Shawn acts like an idiot 99% of the time. Any mellowing out can only be a good thing." Gus sighed in consternation.

Lassiter stood up. "I think that's filled my chatting about Spencer quota for all of eternity, so I'll be leaving now."  
>Gus watched Lassiter sit on the edge of the pool several feet away, and none of his worry was eased in the slightest.<p>

* * *

><p>Juliet shifted in the uncomfortable metal chair. It was one of those annoying wrought iron things, and was very hot in the sun.<p>

Steve chatted happily across from her, oblivious to Juliet's discomfort.

"—so I told the guy to get out of my seat, and he totally _ran for it_-"

Juliet glanced in the direction of the slide, where she knew Shawn would be. She couldn't see him, but it was better than looking at Steve while he regaled her with stories of his 'amazing' feats of manliness, as he put it. This had been going on for over ten minutes. Shawn may have been annoying sometimes, but at least he wasn't a total idiot.

She had been the one to suggest distracting Steve, yes, but that was mostly to try to make Shawn jealous. Juliet was _not_ going to be the one to lose the bet. But now she was stuck with the guy while the others worked.

The whole venture hadn't been pointless, though. Juliet had at least flirted her way into making Steve agree not to press charges on Shawn for being punched. The violence of her boyfriend had been forgotten as Steve cheerfully talked at Juliet.

"—to go out sometime?"

Juliet blinked, sun spots dancing in front of her eyes as she looked back at Steve, who had placed his hand over hers. Shoot, he had said something.

She smiled politely. "Sorry, what did you say?"

Steve grinned back. "I said would you like to go out sometime? You know, with me. On a date." His smile widened to a smirk, and he leaned forward. "I bet we could have a lot of fun."

Juliet forced a sympathetic smile and pulled her hand away delicately. "Sorry, Steve, I don't think I can."

Steve frowned. "Why not?"

Juliet swallowed. "Um, it's not that I don't like you…" she lied.

The frown turned to a grin once more. "Then what's holding you back?" He edged his chair around the table, running his hand over her arm.

At this, Juliet stood up, forcing Steve up as well. She picked his hand off of her. "I have a boyfriend," she responded bluntly. What point was there in lying?

Steve scowled. "Who, that idiot who punched me?"

Okay, so maybe she should've lied.

Juliet shook her head. "No, Steve, he was just a friend of mine. But I do have a boyfriend, so I really can't go out with you."

Surprisingly, Steve just sighed. "Just my luck," he muttered, looking down. "Well, it was nice to talk, anyway, Juliet."

Juliet just nodded, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from chuckling.

A hint of a smile appeared on Steve's face. "If you and that old boyfriend ever break up, you call me, huh?" He winked and glanced at his watch. "Anyway, I should be going. My shift's over anyway. See you around."

Juliet offered him a smile, thinking that maybe Steve wasn't quite as bad as she thought. In any case, she had to get back to the others. Hopefully Shawn and Buzz had gotten somewhere.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: You know, I think that, with fanfiction, characters begin to become different from the actual characters. Like, fanfic Shawn is different from Shawn on TV. I worry that I write him OOC, as well as the others. Um, hopefully this story is still tolerable, though. **

**Anyway, I'd enjoy a review with your thoughts :) Thanks, guys, and sorry again for the lack of updates on this.**

**P.S. I only went over this once after writing, so if there are any typos, please let me know!**


End file.
